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I Don't Want An iPhone, I've Got A Curve
This will be the summer of the iPhone. It ships sometime in the next three weeks and everyone seems to be dying to get their hands on it, including my kids.
But I have never been interested in an iPhone. I've been a Blackberry fan for almost ten years now and have no desire to switch. I tried switching about 18 months ago, tried every smart phone alternative there was, and came back to Blackberry vowing not to leave again. Of course, that may change at some point, but the iPhone's not going to do it.
The reason is the one that John Markoff alluded to today in his NY Times article. The iPhone doesn't have a mechanical keyboard. I do not believe that a touch screen keyboard can produce the kind of high speed typing experience I need to be happy with a phone. I use my phone to blog, text, im, email, twitter, and more. I value the keyboard more than anything else on the phone and I think the Blackberry has the best keyboard of any smartphone, with the possible exception of the Sidekick, the only other smartphone that I ever liked.
I got my Blackberry Curve today.
I bought an unlocked AT&T phone because T-Mobile told me they won't be carrying the Curve until the end of the summer. Can't wait that long.
I am just getting used to the trackball instead of the scrollwheel. I think I'll make that transition quickly. This Curve is perfect for me. The only thing I ever really wanted on a Blackberry that I didn't have was a camera. I've got it now. Nirvana.
The Gotham Gal and I are giving our old Blackberries to our kids who are switching from Sidekicks. I am hoping they fall in love with the Blackberry too so they forget about wanting that iPhone.
Not sure that's going to happen, but I am sure that I don't want an iPhone because I've got a Curve.
Comments (26) | Posted June 13, 2007 in Venture Capital and Technology
Comments
Gee whiz good for you ....I'm getting an iPhone !
Posted by: km4 | Jun 13, 2007 7:54:29 PM
i am jealous. I hate at&T so I don't lknow. Their Canad plan is impossibly expensive.
How are the pictures with it. What about video - can you watch wallstrip?
Posted by: howard Lindzon | Jun 13, 2007 8:24:48 PM
Great post! This topic is near and dear to me because I'm actively in the market for a new smartphone. I have to admit that the iPhone ads have started to lure me in. But I've also been considering both the Curve and the Sidekick. So, I'd love to know if - other than the camera - there's a reason why you think the Curve offers a better experience. Like you, the keyboard is key for me. Thanks.
Posted by: Natalie | Jun 13, 2007 8:59:39 PM
You didn't want that Mac laptop before either... But, now look atcha!
Dude, you're gettin' an iPhone! ;)
Posted by: GWhiz | Jun 13, 2007 9:00:23 PM
I agree with you on the keyboard. I'm a big fan of the mac and apple, but the feel of a real keyboard is something that might make the iPhone experience lacking. I'm eager to see how it works (and feels).
On a separate point, AT&T is going to make a killing on this iPhone deal - all of the digerati who can't stop talking about this device are going to upgrade to an 'all you can eat' data plan which costs about S20/month - the most expensive out of all the US carriers.
Posted by: brent | Jun 13, 2007 9:11:53 PM
Given that I fit quite nicely into Apples target demographic (the tech savvy, iPod loving, more money than sense 16-25 year old demographic) I just can't wait to get my hands on an iPhone. Getting my hands on one might however be a problem living in the UK but I'm sure I'll work something out.
Note that I say 'get my hands on' as opposed to 'own'. Nothing against Apple or anything but it seems to just be a flashy interface.
Having used Windows Mobile since I was 14 (so that makes it four years and 6 devices) I doubt I could ever stitch to an iPhone - I love my HTC Hermes!
Smart phones are great until it rains - ones with touch screens that is - so it will be interesting to see how the button less iPhone does in a 'freak rainstorm'!
And anyway I have an Apple like today screen on my Windows device (see http://theblogof.rosscbrown.co.uk/2007/06/i-swear-i’m-not-jealous-of-that-iphone-thingy/) so I can so off just like those apple fan boys!
Posted by: Ross C Brown | Jun 13, 2007 9:46:58 PM
I couldn't agree more. The BB Pearl is half the price, looks twice as cool (seriously, the iPhone looks like a 1st gen ipod with a color screen) AND has a great keypad (if you like predictive text, which I do). I'd bet anything the OS is much snappier too.
The only case to be made imho would be for media storage and playback which the Blackberry's lack. Is that why your kids want one? I'm fine with my nano+pearl but some convergence might be nice.
Posted by: Toby | Jun 13, 2007 10:11:41 PM
Howard, the blackberry pearl is unreal. Try it out for a week and I PROMISE you won't want to try anything else.
Later,
J
Posted by: Jason Raz | Jun 13, 2007 10:30:19 PM
The iPhone is a media device, and will appeal to those who will mainly use their phone for videos, music, and browsing the web. For us who use it for business purposes (or should I say, "communication" purposes), Blackberries are much better options.
I originally wanted an iPhone when it was announced, but within a month I got a blackberry pearl and I'm not going back. The iPhone is bringing awareness to the general population of the value of a smartphone (whether that be an iPhone or blackberry), and hopefully lead to much more innovation in all the phones on the market in the future. A rising tide raises all ships. The industry needed a kick from Apple to get things interesting again.
Posted by: Bill Erickson | Jun 13, 2007 10:34:10 PM
I think the biggest, and perhaps only significant negative of the iPhone is the keyboard. The tactile feedback of a "raised" keyboard is crucial for efficient, productive typing. The BlackBerry is a business tool. The iPhone is a stunningly sleek gadget - nice to look at and play with, but perhaps not what you want to be carrying as you race through an airport or downtown area typing out an important message.
Posted by: Cortland Coleman | Jun 14, 2007 12:26:19 AM
Interesting how many folks are critiquing iPhone usability before actually holding one in their hand and trying it.
Not that I'll be getting one either... The "Web 2.0 as the SDK" model doesn't work for the types of apps I need for my phone (I doubt Apple is bundling an SSH client, for example.)
Posted by: Hans | Jun 14, 2007 1:39:49 AM
I think you might be missing an inflection point. We have worked very hard to make our enterprise app work on a blackberry. The limited screen real estate and crippled browser make it difficult to bring a rich web experience to "Smart Phones."
Yes the lack of a keyboard is a problem, but I would argue that the lack of a large screen and a REAL web browser is a bigger problem. The touch screen is a clever replacement for a mouse. If you ask yourself how much time a typical consumer spends using a mouse vs time spent typing when interacting with the web, I would argue the mouse is the majority of the time. There is a very small subset of the overall population which use email all the time. I am one of them, but when I want to look up a contact, or get project status information or find out my list of call backs, my Blackberry is not the right tool. Also the sub-sub set of people who compose long email on Blackberries is even smaller.
Another point, most people who interact with your blog do so on computers, soon I will be reading your blog on my iPhone. Reading your blog on my Blackberry is frustrating. Browsing the NY Times, YouTube, Facebook, RSS feeds, researching my competitors, checking my bank balance, reading my email, reviewing work from my developers, listening to music, viewing a movie, podcast, etc. will now be possible. Doing this on a Blackberry or Treo is just plain awful or impossible.
Phones like the iPhone will change the metaphor for mobile devises. It will enable an entire new class of web applications. This is why so many people are excited. Intuitively, people know this will change things.
Posted by: Dan Cornish | Jun 14, 2007 7:31:14 AM
I throw my hat into the ring with the people that want an iphone - just not this version (or the "phone" part generally). I want the 3.5 inch touch screen ipod with internet connection - only the 80 gig model that wil be out sometime in the next two years. It will replace my ipod, not my pearl, while increasing revenues for AT&T.
Posted by: jonathanm | Jun 14, 2007 8:58:49 AM
I'm torn between the 8800 and the curve. Like you, the one thing I've always wanted is a camera; however, in playing with the curve it feels, well, flimsy. The 8800 just feels solid. Like a business road warrior device. I'm curious as to how the curve is goi to stand up to heavy use. I really wish they had a camera option on the 8800. Maybe it's just my perception, anyone esle feel similarly?
Posted by: JPMaxMan | Jun 14, 2007 9:48:57 AM
I unwillingly bought an 8800 in April (my very old 7280 bricked on me so I needed a phone immediately). Very happy with it, though the trackball sometimes acts up wth sweat or grit.
The media-player is kind of weak, but integration with the roxio desktop software helps. GSM BBs are still slow since North American GSM providers haven't gotten onto the 3G bandwagon and service is limited to EDGE. The BB browser has two options - mobile view and desk view, so you can interact just as easily with all webpages as the iPhone.
Dan: what we're saying is that the iPhone is consumer only, and even then is likely going to be unsatisfying for most avid users who text and IM on their phones (i.e. sidekick users, everyone below 30). I'm also rather shocked that you don't find contacts easily on a BB - I've found it to be the best address book out there. Everything that you can usefully do on an iPhone is working on the 8800 and Curve right now, while many things only really work with a full desktop to manage multiple windows and the high processor load.
I've tried watching videos on small screens and find them exceptionally unsatisfying - but I can see it working if you've got a long, cramped, standing commute in Asia, London, etc. For most people in the demo in North America they're either driving themelves and can't watch video period, or are in a situation where they can bust out a laptop just as easily as their phone.
Posted by: Bulging Bracket | Jun 14, 2007 1:31:30 PM
iphone=newton 2.0
it will be hard for too many ham fisted people used to it.
Posted by: kip | Jun 14, 2007 1:50:21 PM
IMHO, Apple, Microsoft, et al have been working on what will be much better for almost a decade: voice-to-text.
With the iPhone, anyone with access to a network can then use it (or any other functioning web browsing portable device) as a thin client for voice-to-text blogging, if text blogging is where we're going and not some hybrid of video blogging with text recognition as meta data and text-based RSS feeds (I do still subscribe mostly to audio podcasts even with video available).
Fun times ahead, nice to see the shake up by Apple.
Posted by: CoryS | Jun 14, 2007 2:12:44 PM
I couldn't convince the guy at the AT&T store to sell me an unlocked curve, I'll have to try again. I'm on a Pearl right now (on T-mo) and I love it, but miss the qwerty keypad.
The only two features I wish the curve/pearl had are video recording, and wi-fi. Other than those, I'm completely satisfied.
Blackberries are about productivity; much of the iphone is whiz-bang novelty, and the non-keyboard is a real deal breaker for me.
I was also thinking about the use case on the bus ride to work today. I keep my ipod out of the way in my bag as I'm listening to it, while I twiddle away on my blackberry doing email, reading blogs etc.. I don't want my headphones plugged into my reader device.
Posted by: Daryn | Jun 14, 2007 2:36:48 PM
perhaps they could implement alpines pulsetouch technology
Posted by: jeremy | Jun 14, 2007 4:22:21 PM
Thou dost protest too much, methinks. :)
Are you sure you don't want that shiny, full-browser enabled, video-playing, smooth as a glass pebble false god we call the iPhone?
Posted by: Andrew | Jun 14, 2007 4:24:04 PM
dude, your kids are going to look hilarious carrying around Blackberrys.
Posted by: commodorefanboy | Jun 14, 2007 4:44:14 PM
I'm with Gwhiz. Over/under on you getting an iPhone is the release date... And I'll take the under.
Posted by: rick | Jun 14, 2007 6:30:34 PM
I upgraded to the 8820 a month ago so that I could have a full keyboard, and I love it. Man The curve would have been worth the wait as I'd love to have a cameraphone to take pictures at shows and walking about.
Without knowing your kids, I'm 100% sure they'll ditch your old BBs in favor of the iPhones. And hey...even better for you and your wife since you'll get to play the iPhones without having to make the switch.
Posted by: jjudge | Jun 14, 2007 8:38:07 PM
8830 is pretty nice. Just got it, and I'll get the iPhone too, but my guess is I'll pass the iPhone on after a month. Treo 700w moves on to eBay for 50 bucks if I'm lucky.
iPhone won't do nearly as well as the iPod because of price and the existing iPod market--they are selling against their own market, and it's less of an upgrade than a cross-grade; you give up a lot of storage to get a phone and multitouch, and if you already have a phone and an iPod, and aren't among the well-paid, you aren't switching anytime soon.
So who has just a great phone? Still waiting for that. Nothing but phone with beautiful sound.
Posted by: Charlie Crystle | CEO, Mission Research | Jun 15, 2007 4:58:00 AM
Fred, have you gotten the browser app to work?
I went to at&t and picked up a curve, but then talked to a very helpful t-mobile rep who said the browser service book for t-mobile wasn't available yet for the curve (hence, no browser app). His best tips were to check crackberry.com's forums, or keep re-registering the HRT every day, as he expected them to be up any day now..
Posted by: Daryn | Jun 15, 2007 7:37:41 PM
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